After two big wins to start the 2021 season, the Emmaus Green Hornets were upset by the Central Catholic Vikings in a 21-0 shutout last Saturday afternoon at J. Birney Crum Stadium.

With the loss the Hornets dropped to 2-1 on the season, while Central improved to 3-0.

The game was a study in frustration for coach Harold Fairclough’s troops.

“We just did not play very well and really couldn’t get much going,” said Fairclough. “We just didn’t execute.”

The Vikings were held to just 138 yards of total offense and defensively were unable to come up with many big plays.

“It was a combination of things,” said Fairclough. “They played well. They had a good game plan and executed. We couldn’t get anything going up front offensively. Defensively, we made a handful of timely and costly mistakes.”

The Hornets could well see Central’s Griffin Patridge in their nightmares. The wide receiver caught seven passes for 137 yards and three touchdown passes. The initial scoring reception came in the first period and covered 43 yards from quarterback Tamlin Ferguson on the Vikings’ first series for a 7-0 Viking advantage.

It didn’t take long for Central to get their next score. After a fruitless Emmaus possession, Patridge caught a six-yard touchdown pass from Matt Keyes for a 14-0 lead.

The final Patridge touchdown catch came in the fourth quarter and covered 24 yards from Ferguson and gave Central a 21-0 lead, putting the game out of reach for Emmaus.

Hornet quarterback Josiah Williams, who had played well during the season’s first two games was not as sharp. He completed 13-of-30 passes for 106 yards and two interceptions. The Emmaus rushing attack was almost non-existent, gaining just 33 yards.

The Emmaus defense did rise up after the first two Central scores, holding the Vikes scoreless in periods two and three. But with the Hornet offense stuck in neutral, it was not enough.